The Cornwall Recreational Whitewater Club

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Last Friday was a day off work Got to like that!

So instead of spending my morning surrounded by staff, computers, books, and the never ending questions of people that need tech support and guidance, I spent the day packing and planning for the Come Hell Or High Water Petawawa down river race.

The race was on a 3 km section of river in the town of Petawawa. These folks have a class 3 /4 river righ in the center of twon. How cool is that!

We arrived Friday evening at the site but there was no one there. In theory the camping in the city park was available and free but the washrooms were locked and we were not so sure that we would not be woken up by the local policein the middle of the night. So we took a drive and found a local campsite.

The evening plan: set up camp, have a beer then get to bed early.

What really happened? We set up camp, ate supper and were invited to a neighboring camp fire… It was great. The kids enjoyed the fun with their kids and then there was beer….. many beer later and a watch saying 12:30, we walked off and hit the hay…. Dohh.

Saturday monring was full of promise. It was sunny and reasonably warm. Lots of people registering and we bumped into a lot of friends. Time to run and scout the river.

The race starts at the Railroad Rapid and ends at the end of Catwalk. The first rapid was a sweet section with big holes and pour overs. Loads of fun. Left of the bridge pillar is the fast and clean line. Right of the pillar brings you into a line that is narrow and fast but if you miss, the beatdown in the hole on the right will be one to remember!

The 2 km that follw are a series of small wave trains and holes.

Then there is Lovers. This sweet little drop looks a lot worse than it is. The main flow pushes you through the center slot and into a hole atthe bottom without any consequence. If you manage to mess up you line (you would really have to try to mess it up…) the beatdown will be short but it will be rocky (shallow).

It all ends at the bottom of catwalk (sweet littl rapid with a couple great surf spots).

After running the river once you get a good feel for what you need to do.

Then the race: This was my first race since I was a kid and for me and Aime-Jean it was the first in the Duo. Running it at a leisurely pace is one thing but pushing without stoppong is another. We missed a few lines got a bit uncoordinated in spots and laughed a whole lot too But no carnage so all is good. we finished the race with a time of 7minutes 6 seconds. The idea was to give Billy and Carly a challenge…. The finished the race with the second best time at 6minutes 14 seconds…Oh well. We plan on training a bit more for net year and adding a few well hidden bricks in Billy’s boat and maybe putting a few extra beers in Billy’s diet the night before… We won’t pick on Carly ’cause she is soo nice to us

Zachary did well too. His lines were fast and he finished the race with a time of 7 minutes 42 seconds. I am proud. He was the youngest paddler there. At 13 years old he is facing a lot of big water and overcoming fears that many of us still struggle as adults:).

Randall Souter (Club Member) also came out from Montreal for this and he showed us how to get through lover backwards. Next time he has tell tell us it was on purpose

Did I mention that at 1.00 PM it started to rain? Well, it rained. and rained and rained. We lost almost all the spectators but still the event was a success. Lots of boaters.

Highlights:

A group Hug for the Mayor. The Mayor of Petawawa came out to welcome the racers and then our friend Billy decided that it was a god time to thank him for the support with a group hug. A couple seconds of awkward silence as Billy hugs the mayor… then we joined in Kinda funny. Mayor survived and took it well.

Race Delay: Someone called 911! A local sitting in their home with a view of the river saw a swimmer out of their boat.. then called 911. The fire department, police and ambulance closed the river access to perform a complete sweep of the river… arghhh 1 hour delay. Time for a coffee and a donut. Timy Ho her ewe come.

Racing: Always cool!

Duo Surfing and back enders! In the morning Aime-Jena and I went for surf after our first run. Catwalk has an super retentive and wide hole at the bottom ideal for Duo play! Lots of spins, surfs and yes, our first vertical end. Being the bigger dude and in the back I happily agreed to push the stern into the whole and there next thing I see: Aime-Jean was up and over my head! Sweet. Later in the afternoon I took Brendan (from BC) out for a ride and we did it again. Brendan (a honest to goodness adult) was laughing like a little girl! way cool!

When it was all over we were wet, cold and tired. The event included an excellent Barbecue and then it was time to drive home. The back of the car was full of slleping people and Sylvie was sleeping next to me. A word of advice: Keep someone awake. It is hard to drive and focus when everyone else is sleeping! Next time I will get some pics of Sylvie sleeping with her mouth open and face up in the passenger seat. Picture a turkey looking up (She will be annoyed at me for this coment but oh well…)

Another end to a great river experience. We will be back next year for sure. And we will volunteer too!!

Thanks to Phil Kompass and his team for putting this on.

Here is a link to a local article about the race: The Daily Observer

Here is a link to Billy’s point of view: Mr Harris

Something to think about:

The Race was more than just a race. It was put together by a collection of dedicated paddlers who care about our rivers.

Thanks to our Federal Government our waterways and our right to water access have been seriously compromised. And now there is possibility of a threat to the Petawawa river in the form of a dam. I am not saying that dams are necessarily bad (No political views or opinions here) but the river is precious to so many and it needs to be preserved.

This event was done to raise awareness in their community and beyond so that people and politicians (funny how I do not necessarily group them together huh… ) can see the value of the river and the resource and if it is to be exploited it might be done responsibly.

Come Hell Or High Water will be an annual event and will do its part in protecting the river and ensuring that people can enjoy the scenic and recreational value for years to come.

For more info on the protection of our rivers and water ways you can read more at I Speak For Canadian Rivers

Paddle Hard and Play Safe.